Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Caesar m. Latin Caesar, a Roman cognomen of uncertain origin. Pliny the Elder derives the name from caedere 'to cut', referring to an ancestor who was born by caesarean section. Three folk etymologies are offered in the late Antique Historia Augusta: Latin caesariēs 'hair'; Latin oculis caesiis 'grey eyes'; and Moorish caesai 'elephant'.

Caesar became a title used by Roman and Byzantine emperors; the use of the word as a given name often reflects either this, or the popularity of Julius Caesar, the first to use the title.

England
Middle French
1576 Cesar WCS p. 12
France
Latin
c823 Cesarius (nom) irminon-vol2 104, Palatiolum; fin11thC Cesarii (gen) St-Barnard-Romans no. 150
Germany
Latin
1215 Cesarius (nom) quix-vol2 126
Italy
Latin
1368 Cesare (abl) Livi 196; 1478 Cesare (nom) RCCaetani6 2720, Cesaro (abl) ibid. 2720; 1522x1532 Cesar (nom) DSF p. 51, 20; 1527 Cesar (nom) Rome1527 p. 86, Cæsaris (gen) ibid. p. 88
Italian
1513x1521 Cesaris LeoX p. 34, Cesaro ibid. p. 16
Cite as: S.L. Uckelman. "Caesar". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Caesar.